Star Trek III - great rewatch value

I understand that III isnt widely considered one of the best ST movie, but now that all the movies are older than 30 years (approx.), I find that one is really most rewatchable.

The early "sfx porn" (Enterprise arriving at spacestation, leaving, the space battles, Grisson cruising), the nice James Horner music, the delicious bar scene, the overall production values (Paramount seemed not so tight with the cash then as with II, since that movie was so lucrative), Nimoy giving the secondary characters some more things to do, Shatner's Kirk last "serious" performance. (of course, against Loyd's Kruge it had to be -- what a movie villain! also underrated)

As a young lad my viewing order was TMP, TSFS, and then TWOK. While I think TWOK is a superior film and presentation, I will always have a lot of love for TSFS. I loved the whole notion of rigging a ship and stealing it. Kirk and crew making extreme sacrifices to save their friend, and the Klingons felt like they were at their best. A great mirror of renegades to Kirk's band of men.

David's death in particularly was like a kick to the stomach, even though I didn't have the benefit of seeing him in TWOK, seeing how it wounded Kirk was enough for me to understand.

I think it has the best overall character development in all the Treks. I think it's no surprise with Nimoy directing that he would know how to handle these characters, all the more disappointing when Shatner couldn't do the same in Trek V.

The worst I can say about it is that the cinematography has a decidedly flat TV look. Trek II sometimes did as well, but not quite so much. The Genesis Planet in particular looks almost TOS-like sometimes for being on a soundstage. Imagine if they had just gone on location to a real jungle instead. Only a few shots look epic on Genesis, like the fiery end of the Enterprise on the outcropping and Kruge's death (presumably courtesy of ILM).

It hadn't been many years since Christopher Lloyd was on Taxi so it was really, IMHO, a casting mistake to have him as the heavy. His character on Taxi was most well-known for his voice and no amount of makeup or speaking his lines in Klingon could completely erase my image of him being a comedic actor from Taxi. Ricardo Montalban certainly did a better job shaking his then-current image of Mr. Roarke in Khan than Lloyd did with Kruge. With the passage of time, and Lloyd playing other heavies in things like Roger Rabbit, he seems more believable.

I like Robin Curtis' screen presence, but she didn't seem particularly vulcan to me. She seemed too soft and sympathetic, so the recast hurt the picture as well.

I think Horner's score for III is better than II, definitely the emotional backbone. II goes over the top too often, almost to the point of camp with some of the Khan themes, and III is a more mature work.

It's really III that marked the transition of the cast to more of an ensemble. That's not how it may have been conceived in the 60s, but it's how they evolved, through the influence of their continued popularity with fandom. I found that very satisfying vs, let's say, TMP where the crew don't seem to have the same familial bond.

Funny thing about III is, it's not many people's favourite but it's not as poorly regarded as other odd-number outings. It's just kind of ... there, being a half decent film in the middle of the table.

Me neither. I think 3 stands in good stead even after all these years. It not only gave us some of the best character moments ever, but gave us Trek hardware that was used for the next twenty years like the definitive Klingon look, the Bird of Prey, Spacedock, etc. Overall a terrific Trek trek.

It's still one of my favorites, and has aged well unlike TUC in my opinion.
The feeling of dispair at the beginning of the movie, the heist of the Enterprise, Kirk's loss, and the return of Spock. It all tracked very nicely.

TWOK is still my favorite of all the ST movies. TSFS is kind of "part 2" of the story. If I hadn't enjoyed TWOK as much as I do, I might give TSFS a higher rating. I like it, but it doesn't measure up to TWOK in my opinion.

I was a big "Taxi" at the time that ST3 came out. And I thought Loyd was perfect as Kruge. I love the scene on the planet after the Enterprise blows up and Kruge is screaming at Kirk through the communicator; furious about Kirk killing most of Kruge's crew. And Kirk's response is basically "Oops. Tough break for you."

And I almost forgot. The scene when Kruge leaves the bridge of his ship. Looks at his targ and then at Maltz. And says "Feed him."

I think the whole Trilogy is great but there are some truly wonderful moments in STIII. Firstly - GO JANICE!! - I mean, go woman in cafeteria. Secondly, the whole section where they break out McCoy and steal the Enterprise was a joy. Thirdly, undoubtedly the most heart-wrenching death in Trek's history was the death of the Enterprise. My jaw hit the flaw.

I've got to say, ST III is actually my least rewatched Trek movie, just barely above Nemesis which is in last freaking place.

It had a lot going on for it. I loved Lloyd as Kruge, the direction was great, the characters, the acting, all great. The story doesn't interest me enough to watch again, which is a shame because it deals with a major point in the Star Trek Universe as it pertains to our heroes.

Don't forget John Laroqette from "Night Court" as Maltz. Near the end when Kirk and co beam up to the BoP by tricking Maltz. Scotty and Chekov try to engage the warp drive but don't know how. Kirk orders Maltz to tell them how to engage engines and threatens to kill him. Maltz refuses: "I do not deserve to live." Kirk: "Fine. I'll kill you later."